Travel within India – states, hill stations, beaches, road trips
Lakshadweep is India’s best-kept secret — an archipelago of 36 coral islands scattered across the Arabian Sea, fringed by blinding white sand, ringed by turquoise lagoons, and home to some of the most pristine coral reefs in the country. With only a handful of islands open to tourists and strict limits on visitor numbers, it…
The Rann of Kutch is one of India’s most surreal landscapes — a vast, blindingly white salt desert in Gujarat that stretches to the horizon, especially magical under a full moon. Once the seabed of the Arabian Sea, the Great Rann transforms with the seasons, and in winter it becomes the stage for the spectacular…
Mysore — officially Mysuru — is Karnataka’s royal “City of Palaces”, a graceful, easygoing city of grand Wodeyar architecture, sandalwood and silk, illuminated palaces and one of India’s most spectacular festivals. At its heart is the magnificent Mysore Palace, dazzling by day and breathtaking when lit by thousands of bulbs, while Chamundi Hill, the Brindavan…
Agra is home to the Taj Mahal — the world’s most famous monument to love and one of the New Seven Wonders — making it an essential stop on any India journey. But this Mughal capital offers far more: the mighty Agra Fort, the exquisite “Baby Taj”, the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri nearby, and…
Amritsar is the spiritual and cultural heart of Punjab — home to the luminous Golden Temple, the moving memorial at Jallianwala Bagh, the theatrical Wagah border ceremony, and food so good it draws people across the country. It’s a city of faith, history and warmth, where the world’s largest free community kitchen feeds tens of…
Ranthambore is India’s most famous tiger reserve — a dramatic landscape of dry forest, lakes and crumbling ruins in Rajasthan, crowned by an ancient hilltop fort, where Bengal tigers roam in the open and are sighted more often than almost anywhere else. Add deer, leopards, crocodiles and rich birdlife, plus the romance of a UNESCO…
Mussoorie, the “Queen of the Hills”, is the grande dame of Uttarakhand’s hill stations — a colonial-era retreat strung along a Garhwal ridge at around 2,000 metres, with sweeping Doon-valley views on one side and glimpses of snow peaks on the other. A buzzing Mall Road, the quiet literary lanes of Landour, ropeway viewpoints and…
Jodhpur, the Blue City, is one of Rajasthan’s most photogenic and atmospheric destinations — a sea of indigo houses spilling beneath the mighty Mehrangarh Fort, with bustling bazaars, grand palaces and the gateway to the Thar Desert. Steeped in Rajput history and royal grandeur, yet wonderfully walkable and welcoming, Jodhpur offers a perfect blend of…
Jaisalmer, the “Golden City”, rises from the Thar desert like a mirage — a fortress of honey-coloured sandstone whose ramparts, havelis and temples glow amber at sunset. Deep in western Rajasthan, it is one of the world’s few living forts, still home to families, shops and guesthouses within its walls, and the gateway to camel…
Darjeeling, the “Queen of the Hills” in West Bengal, is the grand old Himalayan tea town — a place of misty ridges, emerald estates and a UNESCO-listed toy train, all crowned by dawn views of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak. Since British times it has drawn visitors for its cool air, colonial charm and the…
Ooty — Udhagamandalam, the “Queen of Hill Stations” — is the grand old dame of South India’s mountains. Set high in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu, it charms visitors with a UNESCO-listed toy train that creaks up through tea estates, a boating lake at its heart, colonial-era gardens, and cool, eucalyptus-scented air that has drawn…
Gokarna is the laid-back, soulful alternative to Goa — a Karnataka coastal town where an ancient temple meets a string of beautiful, cliff-backed beaches. Pilgrims come for the revered Mahabaleshwar Temple and its Atmalinga, while travellers come for Om Beach, Kudle and the famous beach trek that links a chain of secluded coves. With its…